Mask
by Angel Of Depression
Summary: Fenris knew she had to leave. Her friends couldn't find out about this, especially him. She would have to go into hiding and leave her whole life behind and start anew. A life with guilt riding on her shoulders and only one other person to share it with.
1. Prologue: Runaway

Mask

Author: Angel of Depression

Summary: She had to leave before they found out. They couldn't know about it, not even him. She would have to dodge them for the rest of her life. A life on the run with pure guilt riding on her conscience.

Prologue:

She knew she would have to leave tonight. She only found out a week or two before, but she could not delay her 'escape' any longer. The vile was in her hands; a glass container filled half way to the top with silvery liquid. It would knock them out long enough to make her escape and reach the first town by dawn. Until then, she would savor the security and warmth that she felt with her friends. Calmly, she walked up to the broth she was stirring and stared into it. Then slowly unscrewed the cork and poured the contents in to their dinner for the night. She wouldn't eat it of course; even if she could, her stomach couldn't hold it down.

Suddenly, she heard a figure behind her call out her name. Turning, she saw her lover walking towards her with her other two friends coming up from behind. She barely made out that he had asked if she felt any better than this morning. Answering numbly, she nodded her head and quietly walked over to her previous seat and sat down. The others stared at her as she mumbled her instructions. "Your dinner is ready. I don't feel like eating tonight. So you guys go ahead…" The other two were fast to listen while her lover went to check on her.

"Are you sure you are well? Maybe you should try and eat something…" He looked down at her with concerned eyes. Her eyes almost filled with tears at the thought of leaving, and her mind started to fill with doubt. _NO, I've already gone this far and I cannot afford to turn back now!_ "Don't worry, I am fine, just a little tired…Go ahead and eat."

Not wanting to upset her, he went and got his food, but returned and sat next to her and silently ate. She lay her head against his shoulder and felt him tense a little, but then relaxed. He placed his plate on the ground next to him and then placed an arm around her. He gave her a small kiss on the cheek. "Are you sure you are feeling all right," he asked her once more. She nodded and hugged him back.

They stayed like that for a while just enjoying each other's company. Soon everything around him started to blur as he began to feel drowsy. Slowly, his eyes closed and she finally let her tears fall. Taking her hand, she reached for her hair she pulled something out. Then she placed it in his open hand and closed the finger around it. She gave him a small kiss on the lips and stood up. Gathering her things, she checked on her other two friends and left a letter with them. Saying a quiet goodbye to all of them, she made her way out of camp and headed towards the main road. Once she reached it, she glanced back at the campsite once and said what she should have said before she had ever decided to walk out of there lives, his life, and her own life.

"_I love you…"_

Dawn

Up ahead was the town she was heading to. She would only stay here for a night and then make her way to **Anestef**. Halfway down the road she felt the wind pick up around her a little. The young woman stopped dead in her tracks. Turning slowly she saw the empty road, heard the wind and the birds, and felt her heart and the heart of someone else shatter.

At camp

Why had he fallen asleep so suddenly last night? He was normally the one that volunteered for night watch and would end up staying awake half the night. But here he was. Lying on the ground covered by his cloak. With his friends across from him barely waking up as well. Looking next to him, he was surprised to find that his love was nowhere in sight. Feeling something in his hand, he saw he was holding something. Opening his palm, he felt his heart shatter and his voice die in his throat when he tried to cry out.

In the palm of his hand was her wolf hairpin.

End prologue


	2. Suit of Armor

Chapter 1: Suit of Armor

The trees seemed like they would never end. Too many. If only they had never taken that old woman's directions. If only the idiotic redhead hadn't decided to head to the last possible place where _she_ could be. If only they had figured out what troubled her so much to the point where her departure could only solve matters…

_Too many ifs, should haves, could haves. It has been a total of two years and still; we have not found any sight of her. All we have to go by are sightings from villages where she has stayed. But no more than that. Does she want to keep herself hidden from us? Why did she leave in the first place…?_ The assassin looked to his other comrades and saw they were in deep thought like him. The cleric had not been as bubbly as she used to be before _she_ left; she still had the attitude but kept it down to a minimum. And the rune-knight always kept thinking and would divulge himself in rigorous spars with the assassin. He, himself, started talking less and less, almost as if he had forgotten how to speak.

But thinking about it more. They had all grown physically along with mentally and emotionally. He and Chaos were both at the ripe age of twenty-one and had shaped up well. Both had filled out and their faces were more defined. Loki was as skilled as ever in his fighting and had further trained his acute senses. But it was rare to ever see him show any other expression besides his cold mask and the usual bored look as well as hear him say anything close to comical. (Not that that had happened as much before she left. But he would at least smirk or insult the knight and cleric.)

The knight, like said before, had taken to training even more. Now he was excelling in his swordsmanship. And whenever he sparred with the assassin, he would be able to land a few more hits than the last time they fought. (But only about one or two more, Loki's skill still surpassed his own) And he had sprouted like a weed and was a full head taller than Loki; two heads taller than Iris. As always, he and the girl would have a fight with each other. It ended most of the time with one of them having a cut or a bruise; nothing too permanent.

"Do you guys think we'll find her here?"

The assassin and rune knight turned to the little cleric. She wasn't exactly 'little' anymore. Iris was already twenty years old and had grown up quite well. All her curves were in the right places and some were still pending. She could still be a little immature, but made up for it with her growing skill in the rune cards. And she had finally taken her hair out of her ever-present pigtails and had turned them into a long braid. Chaos shrugged his shoulders. "That old peddler said she had passed through on a couple of occasions during the week of the winter solstice last year. She always went back to _this_ city when she finished…" Iris looked down at the ground for a second and then raised her gaze to treetops. "I guess it would make sense as to why she would go there…its magic is only second to that of Geffen's…and it's the hardest to locate!" Iris sidestepped a loose branch at the last second…only to have it hit Chaos right in the face.

-Smack-

Turning around she saw that Chaos had a mouthful of pine needles.

-Sweat drop-

"Oops?"

"OOPS MY ARSE! YOU DID THAT ON PURPOSE YOU LITTLE TWERP!"

"Umm, Loki, a little help here?"

Looking over to the stoic man, he gave her a bored expression as if to say, "And miss the chance to see Chaos finally kill you? I think not." Turning back to the fuming knight, Iris laughed nervously and took off in a sprint. Loki watched silently as Chaos soon ran after her yelling rude profanities. _One good thing came out of this fight; they created a better path…_

Somewhere else

A lone figure rose up from her bed when she heard the light creaking of the floorboards and felt something or someone tug at her shirt. Looking around, she saw no one in her quarters. But looking down she gave a small smile. Lifting her covers and down blankets, she swung her legs out from beneath and placed them firmly on the ground. Bending down, she opened her arms and engulfed a little figure into her embrace. She felt him squirm a bit until he was more comfortable. Then the woman laid him down on her bed with the rest of her blankets and pillows. She gave him a small kiss on the top of his head. Raising a hand, she reached out and pulled back the curtains. She observed the goings on of the city streets as people began to head for their jobs. After a few minutes, she let the curtains fall back into place.

Stepping out of bed she stood to her full height and reached up towards a shelf. Pulling down a wig she placed it firmly atop of her head and hid away any loose strands of her real hair. Reaching up again, she pulled down a black piece of cloth that she had only taken off five hours prior and now she would don it once more… Shaking out the dark thoughts she then headed for her closet, and pulled out her clothes for the day. Looking towards the bed, she saw that the little boy had fallen asleep. She smiled and decided to let him sleep longer; she would see him in a couple of hours. Heading for her bathroom, she grabbed the rest of her accessories and apparel. Stepping into the bathroom, she locked the door as she began getting ready for the long day ahead.

Back with the 3 travelers

"Wow…big…shiny…"

The two red heads stared at the gates to the city of Anestef. The gates stood at least one hundred feet high made of different metals and had intricate carvings upon it. Not only that, but he recognized various symbols of the Assassin's Guild and Cross carved in it as well as old incantations and talismans (most likely used for protection). Loki sighed mentally as he watched the two of them stare at the gates in awe. Apparently, the knight had chased the cleric all the way to the end of the forest as he yelled at her. He then crashed into her while she was standing there staring at the gates. When Loki arrived Chaos barely took notice to the entrance.

"Are you two done gawking yet?"

"But Loki," yelled Iris, "they're so big! There must be over a million people living in this city! How are we supposed to find her in a place like this the doorway itself is the size of a giant? " She turned to the assassin expecting a good answer. The said man cocked his head to the side and looked at her with a bored expression. "By knocking on it so they could let us in." Chaos broke into a fit of laughter as the cleric looked at the man deadpanned. But then she smiled at the little joke the assassin made and took a step back. "Okay then your assassin-ship! Lead the way and get them to open up the doors," insisted Iris. Chaos made it to a sitting position and backed up the girl. "You heard the little lady, Loki. Get them to open the doors!"

Loki glared at the two of them and stepped up to the gates. Ironically there was a rope placed conveniently in front of him that attached itself to a huge bell. Holding out one hand, Loki grabbed onto the object and gave it two strong tugs.

Nothing

When nothing seemingly happened, Iris was about to comment about the assassin's so called knowledge. As she opened her mouth an earsplitting sound reverberated around them.

-B-O-N-G B-O-O-O-O-N-G-

Iris collapsed to the ground clutching her ears trying to block out the sound. Chaos was on the ground still and was doing the same as he started to yell about it being too loud. Loki just stared at the two not at all fazed by the sound of the bell or the continuous vibrations it ensued. When the echoes of the bell ended, the three of them heard someone stomping down what seemed to be steps that magically appeared in replacement of the rope.

Looking up to the middle of the spiral steps, they saw a suit of armor clamber down the long flight of stairs. The person's shoulders were hunched over and had a fist clenched while the other held onto the hilt of a sheathed sword. The armor itself was made out of what seemed to be a custom made metal. And of course the metallic ringlets that made up the chain mail shirt were seen under the heavy armor. A silver and blue sash was slung over his shoulder and across his chest and was tied to the end of his belt.

Chaos barely made out a long stream of vulgar sentences being said when Loki heard every single word. _What a poor mouth this person has. It makes me wonder how someone could be made such an esteemed member of the Royal Guard… _When the guard made his way to the foot of the steps, he suddenly stopped and stared at Loki. "Please state your identity and reason for coming to the city of Anestef," came the soft voice of a twenty year old. Loki and Chaos were surprised at how young he sounded, but Iris seemed used to it. (Actually, she kind of smirked at the guard.)

"I am Loki of the Assassin's Guild. I have come here with my two comrades on a retrieval mission we are expected to complete."

The young guard nodded slowly at his answer. He looked him up and down as if sizing him up. Then his concealed eyes landed on the insignia of the Assassin's Cross. Iris and Chaos were surprised when the guard bowed toward their friend and then stood straight again. Loki just kept a steady gaze on him studying the man's gesture.

"You are of the Assassin's Cross. We, too, have had one of your seven members board with us within these gates. I am Aaron Eland of the Royal Guard. Your business seems to be in order. But you and your _comrades_" he said in a sly manner as he looked over at Iris (much to Chaos' disdain), "will have to fill out some paperwork as to how long you intend to stay here and then we'll find you a place to stay for the duration of your mission." Aaron said this all in a business like manner that contradicted his soft child like voice. He then turned to the stair case and clapped his hands and then slapped both of them onto the steps. Suddenly, the steps melted in to the ground and in front of them, a ten foot doorway appeared.

Chaos, Iris and Loki stared at the opening in front of them and then looked towards their guide. He shrugged his shoulders and raised both hands in the air as he walked through the entryway. "Alchemy, _so_ useful in _so_ many ways…" They quietly followed him through and stopped to find themselves in headquarters for the Royal Guard and Knights. Looking up and down the halls, you could see various knights, guards, novices, were walking around receiving their orders from the higher ups or catching up to their mentors to train for the day. Behind them, they saw Aaron seal the door as to not let in anyone or anything else. When he turned back to face the group, his gaze immediately fell on the red headed girl. Chaos saw this and then stepped up to introduce himself.

"Hey, I'm Chaos! Nice to meet you, and dude, that alchemy of yours looks so cool."

Aaron turned to face him and crossed his arms over his chest. "Why thank-you _dude_…but you seemed to have mistaken something about me like so many others before you." Chaos stared at Aaron in confusion. Iris beamed at the guard as she watched _him_ remove _his_ helmet to reveal two forest green eyes, a face that ended in a smirk, and long red and black hair that fell to mid waist. The royal guard held the helmet firmly against her hip.

"COUSIN AARON!"

"IRIS!"

The assassin and rune knight stood off to the side as the two _girls_ hugged each other in a tight bear hug. They both looked almost identical if it weren't for the black streaks and green eyes. When he realized the connection between the two women Chaos' eyes bugged out of his head. "Cousin! She's your COUSIN!" The two girls stopped hugging and smiled at him. "Yeah! She's my mother's brother's second oldest daughter! I haven't seen her since I was sixteen."

"Nice to meet you two. I already know you," she said while giving a pointed stare to the assassin, "as Loki."

Aaron stepped forward and placed a hand on her hip and then extended her other hand to shake Chaos'. "As for you _Chaos_, I'm guessing you're the 'super strong mega hottie' my cuz' wrote to me about in most of her letters…"

"AARON!"

"'Super strong mega hottie' Iris," Chaos said slyly as he smirked at her.

-Blush-

"I only wrote that in _one_ letter over four years ago Aaron!"

Her cousin looked over at her and smirked. Aaron leaned into Iris and whispered in her ear, "Oh, and he still isn't strong or hot? He looks in pretty good shape to me. And by my standards, he's as hot as they get." Iris flushed to the roots of her hair when her cousin told her this. Turning to Aaron, she animatedly yelled back at her. "We'll talk about this later! Right now we need to find a place to stay for the next two weeks!"

Aaron gave Iris a bored expression as she rubbed her ear to get it to stop ringing. "Geeze, when I told you and your friends that we would 'find you a place to stay' I meant that you would be staying with me and the rest of the family over at our place-oof!"

"Thank you, thank you, thank YOU!"

Iris engulfed Aaron in a bone crushing hug as soon as she heard where they were staying. When she saw her cousin turn blue, she let go of her and ran over to Chaos and Loki. While her cousin donned her helmet once more, Iris told them of their accommodations and Chaos whooped when he heard they didn't have to pay for rooms at the local inn. Loki just said that they had better hurry so that they could get settled and then go on their search. Aaron just nodded and told one of the other guards where she could be found if needed. She then led the three through a door that led them to another set of hallways. Aaron took the hallway to their left and led them through.

As the group made their way through the halls they came upon a group of masked individuals. Loki observed each of them carefully noting how many there were. Ten in all. Their uniform consisted of a pitch black mask that was made of a fabric that made them stick to their faces like a second skin. It covered half their face only showing their eyes and the bridge of their nose and up. The rest of their clothing was a tight pitch black long-sleeved shirt that ended in gloves that had the fingers cut off and black baggy cargo pants. Each of them had silver wrist guards along with shin guards that made it all the way to their knees. Attached to their thighs were pouches that seemingly held weapons or food rations.

They were all spread out in the halls. Some were leaning against the wall watching the others. Three of them were talking amongst each other while the rest of them sat on the ground against the wall trying to catch some extra sleep. When the four people passed by them, all of the masked people (save for the ones that were sleeping) watched them silently and discreetly. But even though they were inconspicuous, Loki knew that they were watching them. He could tell that at least one of the ones 'sleeping' was watching only him as he walked by. After the four of them exited through a door, they found themselves on a small patio that had four staircases attached to it. Before Aaron could walk in the direction of the correct stairs, Chaos asked a question.

"Who were those people Aaron?"

Aaron stopped in mid-step and looked over her shoulder. Setting down her foot again, she turned the rest of her body to fully face him. She saw that Iris was giving her a questioning look while Loki looked like he could care less (but in truth, he was listening to the question and was waiting for the answer). Aaron then scratched the back of her neck trying to think of a good explanation as to who the people in the hallway were.

"Umm…well those would be our underground people. Their jobs deal with all the stuff that happens in the darker side of the city. They keep track of all the dealings and shady businesses and sometimes work for months on missions that could prove to be lethal. Each member has to be able to memorize everything that they are told and all that they have observed during their missions and each of their mission reports because they are only to be looked at once until the end of the mission. And they all have to possess a magical talent whether it is incantations, spells, charms, rune card, or (my personal favorite) alchemy. Lastly, they have to show some impressive skills in armaments of some sort."

When she looked over at Chaos and Iris she noticed that they were impressed by all the things the masked people had to do. Loki, of course, would be used to this seeing as he was a member of the Assassin's Guild. "For people here, that's a lot to do. Not to mention they have to undergo the same kind of training those oriental people up north do, you know, the ninjas. They need the stealth on all their missions. There's only ten because not many are willing to do that job and they only recruit the best of the best. I tried at one point, but I didn't do too well at memorizing all the books they gave me, and didn't have much experience in stealth. Too clumsy. Come to think of it…they recently received a new member three months ago when one of them retired…the new recruit is a friend of my sister's actually…"

She trailed off for a while as she thought through the events and tried to remember the small inaugural ceremony that took place those three months before. Snapping out of her thoughts, she led them down a flight of stairs as she continued her clarification on the subject. "Each are given hidden quarters that are only known to the other members and the viceroy of the city and some noted officials. This is the first time I've seen all of them in one place like that since I became part of the Royal Guard, actually. You guys are really lucky to see them together on your first visit here. Sometimes you only see one or two at a time. But I'm guessing some of them came back from a mission so they're going to have a meeting. If this was a long term mission, then all of them should be getting a small retreat soon after…"

Once again, she trailed off and led them through another door that took them to the outside of a lookout tower. They took the steps on the outer part of the tower heading down to the base. As the door behind them was about to close, someone's hand darted out and held the door open a little longer. A pair of crystal blue eyes observed the three other people who followed the Royal Guard. The eyes lingered a while longer on the stoic assassin before the figure retreated back inside the confines of the building when hearing someone call out saying the meeting was to start. The figure clad in black and silver started running back up the flight of steps with one thought in mind. _Two years…_

End Chapter 1


	3. 3: Boulders and a Festival of Stars

Chapter 2:

They finally reached the city part of Anestef and the three (or at least two of the three) were amazed at the sight before them. Aaron smirked at their expressions and was proud that her city placed them there. Chaos jaw was close to hitting the dirt and Iris' were filled with awe as she took in everything around them. Loki didn't show much interest but she saw his eyes widen for a millisecond before they returned to their original size.

"Welcome, my friends, to the second world renowned city of magic…Anestef!"

She proudly outstretched an arm towards the millions of buildings and people surrounding them. They could see the market place was full of bustling people and shopkeepers trying to make a good sale. The buildings looked as tall as the gates outside and were used for various businesses. One of the buildings they passed was solely devoted to selling oriental clothes. Another full of clothes that were for juveniles, and another for regular everyday clothes. When they went through the market the saw stands selling jewelry, some selling mixtures of potions and hard to find ingredients, and special books that write down everything you say (a diary of some sorts). There were banners of all sorts of color's hanging from the stands, lamp posts, and buildings. It made the city look even brighter than ever. Every now and then Iris would separate from the group to buy a small trinket of some sort that caught her eye.

People everywhere greeted each other making it seem that the community was tightly knit together. Some people (mostly girls) would approach Aaron and say their greetings and exchange some gossip. And Aaron would introduce her cousin and her friends would immediately group around her and take note of the resemblance between the two. The two boys stood far enough away trying to stray away from the mob of girls that would show up spontaneously and surround the two other girls. As they continued their walk they would pick up their own little audience and would try and detach themselves from them.

Aaron finally shooed away all her friends saying that she had important matters to attend to (namely getting the visitors over to her place). Loki scowled and mumbled something about the little interruptions from her friends being unnecessary. "Awe, lighten up a bit Loki! Look at your two friends, they're probably a million times worse then mine!"

"I resent that!"

The guard shrugged her shoulders as she continued walking. They eventually made it to the center of town where an event was taking place. In the middle next to the water fountain, there was a stage with a few performers walking back and foward. Curiousity getting the best of them (namely Iris and Aaron) they made there way through the crowds until they made it to the base of the stage. Looking for someone who looked to be the person in charge, Aaron did a quick sweep until she found the right person.

He was aroud Iris' height and looked about mid fourties. His beard came down so that it rested on his chest. He was aged indeed because you could see the salt and pepper strands of hair weaving it's way in and out of the beard. His attire was common; leather boots, brown trousers, white blouse and a worn leather vest.over it. It read Samuel on his name tag.

As Aaron was about to question him, a huge boulder came from overhead and landed on the stage right in front of him. He took a step to the right and sweatdropped when he saw the person who threw the huge object at him. Glaring angrily at him and breathing heavily, not from exhaustion but from anger, was a little girl no older than thirteen. Her red eyes burned angrily as she stomped her way through the crowd.

'_Can this day get any weirder,' _Loki and Chaos asked themselves.

"Aaron you prick! You left the house without telling me or Danielle where you were headed and we got stuck babysitting the monster!"

Chaos scratched the bridge of his nose and looked at the girl curiously.

"So you weren't aiming for the guy on the stage?"

The girl stopped midstep and turned to regard Chaos and laughed embarassedly.

"Not exactly...Big crowd so I just threw the closest thing I could find...didn't know it almost hit the guy."

Samuel (the guy on the stage) just shook his head and walked away shouting orders around. It was then that Aaron remembered what she had come for, and turned to ask the old man what he was doing. For this, she received a strange stare from him.

"For being one of theroyal guards, you sure are clueless...there's a festival going on next week. Don't you remember the governor announcing it some days ago?"

3

2

1

"Oh _that_ festival? I thought it already passed."

Samuel, Chaos, Iris, and the young girl fell over while Loki just glared at the girl. _'How she made it to this position will be a mystery...'_

It turned out that it wasn't just any festival. It was the annual Star Festival. People from all over the land came to attend this paticular event. The tradition bgan over 2,000 years ago when the city was first built. On the first day of spring since the town was built, the first viceroy placed an enchantment over the forest that surrounded the town. That was the purpose of the engraved spells they saw when they first reached the city gates.

For one week straight, balls of light that came in all colors and sizes wouldglow inside and outside the walls at night. In a way, they resembled fireflies, floating about with their glowing bodies. Special performances would be held at the center of town such as dancing, feasts, plays, choreographed dances, and other things. On the final day of the festival, there would always be a meteor shower, where everyone would make wishes on as many as they could, in hopes that they would come true.

Another part of the tradition was that on the final day, there was to be a masquerade ball everyone was to give a single blood red rose to the person they loved. (Okay I know that's kinda lame, but it works for the story). And at midnight, as magically as they appeared, all the lights vanish in the wind, leaving the stars to twinkle down at them brightly.

"Wow that's a really cool festival! I can't wait till it starts," Iris yelled happily as the four of them continued walking.

The girl with the red eyes had been introduced as Mei Tsubasa, Aaron's childhood friend. She seemed to be a mischievious type of person because there was this ever present gleam in her eyes and she always wore a lopsided grin. Her hair was black and ended just past her shoulders. Her hair was cut diagonally so that it was short at the nape of her neck and became longer as it came forward. She wore a tight black mid-drift shirt with fishnet sleeves.On top was a red vest that ended two inches below her breasts. Her pants were black and baggy. On Mei's right thigh were bandages wrapped around. The same bandages adorned her hands from her elbows to her knuckles.

"Yeah, it's the biggest thing that ever happens in this city. But that's not the only thing that's big."

Iris scared the bejeevies out of Mei when she suddenly appeared nose to nose with her eyes wide open in anticipation. Mei raised an eyebrow and then smirked.

"Sorry Iris, but I don't swing that way."

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Man, Iris just got PEGGED! HAHA-OW!"

"SHUT UP YOU BIG APE!"

Iris huffed and kicked Chaos in the shin one more time before turning back to Mei.

"Now what were you saying?"

Mei sweatdropped at how casual Iris sounded. '_Okaaay...these two must do that often...weird.' _She just shook her head and answered Iris.

"Well...MAJOR SHOPPING!"

The minute those two words came out of her mouth, Chaos could see all his zeny fly out the window.

Let's just say that this author is too lazy and that the next half an hour consisted of Iris jumping up and down happily yelling out all the things she would buy while Chaos cried animatedly, and Loki just tuned out of the conversation a long time ago. Aaron just shook her head sighing at the sight they made and Mei happily contributed to the yelling and jumping.

So half an hour later...

Iris and Mei had calmed down some and they had finally arrived at Aaron's place. Once again, Chaos and Iris gawked at the size of the 'house' they were staying at. _'Nothing in this town is ever simple, is it,' _Chaos thought absently gawking at the three story complex before them. It looked to be made out of mismatched bricks, but in reality, it was perfectly even, just a trick of the eye. The garden in the courtyard held different colored roses in bushes and trees. Ivy hung from the old-fashioned iron gates giving the house a sense of privacy. A fountain was placed in the center of the courtyard, justbefore walk way split to make two trails that lead to the house. Gravel was placed on the walkways so it would give extra footing for when it rained.

Walking up to stand next to his friends, Loki turned to them with a bored expression as he raised an eyebrow.

"If a bad wind were to blow pass your face's, they would stay that way..."

Both Chaos and Iris snapped out of her daze and glared at the assassin. Iris stuck her tounge out at him and dragged her cousin and her new friend Mei towards the building. Loki just rolled his eyes and followed the three girls, and a grumbling Chaos. As soon as their accomadations were set, he was going to mediate.

Life with these guys strained whatever sanity and self control was left in him...

* * *

AN: Hehe...well what do you know, I finally updated! Yeah, it's been, like what, 3+ months since I last did? Ano, I blame school. the Only freetime I have now is the summer, and I'm hoping on finishing this one off within the next year. Maybe some feedback would help? I don't know, so you decide. Sorry if the new OC sounds retarded somehow, same with the festival. I was originally planning it to be a festival of flowers, but replaced it when I got an idea for one of the shows. So please humor me on this one. '

NEWAYZ, hope you enjoyed the new chapter, although I think it's rather lame...please send some feed back!


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